Fresh sardines baked in olive oil with aromatics like oregano and thyme – super easy to make, yet very healthy. This can be served with salad or if you are not on a Whole30 program, bread or white rice would be perfect!
There are things that I prefer doing all by myself.
Like…
All food related stuff – grocery, cooking, food storing and preparation… all things food, I say.
Cleaning the house? Help, please!
Dishwashing? Hmm, let me think about it.
Cleaning fish? That one, my friends, I prefer doing all by myself. Oh, that smile I see from the fishmongers when I say “no need to clean”. I was once asked why I do not let them clean the fish and my answer is always “because I don’t like the dish looks like after it is being cleaned by them”. I am not saying the case is always the same, but there are things that you are really comfortable doing than letting others do it for you. You know what I mean? But this time, I could say that I wished I let them clean the sardines for me. It was late night and it was my first time to get fresh sardines (You say whaaat? Ssshhh!) and decided to clean them. It was a nasty, painful experience (think about the fish bone and me not wearing gloves – don’t ask, I hate wearing gloves).
Thankfully, I won the fight. (Note to self: next time, it’s either you wear gloves or let them clean the fish. I think I’ll go with the second one.)
I hated that fish bone coming out from the sardines when it’s cooked. Anyway, the dish came out really nice that I wanted set aside the Whole30 rules and get a cup or two of rice with me. Gladly, survived without the rice.
This dish is very healthy. Although the dish has few ingredients only, it came out very tasty and oh so good! Okay, enough… why don’t you come to Fiesta Friday #164 so you could taste this amazing dish? 😛
It’s crazy that my topic today is about doing things all by myself and then Angie told me that I am co-hosting alone just after I finished the draft of my post. We are psychic! Ha! Anyway, time to join us now at Fiesta Friday #164 so go ahead – link up, chat and have fun! See you! 😉
Baked Sardines in Olive Oil
Ingredients:
- 500g fresh sardines, cleaned and scaled
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 400F. Prepare a baking dish that could accommodate the sardines in a single layer.
- Make sure that the sardines are cleaned and scaled very well. Place them on a baking dish in a single layer. Season all sides with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine olive oil, dried thyme, dried oregano, red pepper flakes and lemon juice. Mix and pour over the sardines and let sit while waiting for the oven to reach the required temperature.
- Bake the sardines for 20 minutes.
- Serve with salad or bread (can be paired with white rice, too). Drizzle with more lemon juice, if desired.
Source Recipe: Baked Sardines by Kali Orexi
Enjoy your weekend, people! Happy Fiesta Friday!💃🏻
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